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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

The Hill published on 24 November 2015 an article titled "China's Military Makes Move into Africa" by Kristina Wong. The article quotes U.S. Army General David Rodriguez, the commander of the U.S. Africa Command, as stating that China is building "a base in Djibouti, so that will be their first military location in Africa." He added that China has signed a ten-year contract with Djibouti.

So far, there has been no public announcement of this facility although the president of Djibouti said in May 2015 that his government was negotiating with China over a base. If this is, in fact, a full-fledged military base, it will be China's first base outside China since the establishment of the PRC in 1949. It is important, however, to see the details of the agreement with Djibouti before describing this facility.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry subsequently announced that China is building a "logistical facility" in Djibouti for the resupply of Chinese Navy ships. The New York Times reported this new development on 26 November 2015 in an article titled "China to Build Up Military Presence in Djibouti" by Jane Perlez.